BOSTON – #14 Vermont extended its unbeaten streak to eight and moved into first place in the #AEMSOC standings as the only team to earn a conference win last weekend.
The Catamounts notched a 2-1 victory over UMass Lowell to take over first place with a 2-0 record and six points. NJIT and UMBC both earned draws to move into second with four points, apiece, tying Binghamton and Bryant respectively. #24 New Hampshire secured a 0-0 draw against UAlbany on Friday.
On Monday morning the NCAA released its second RPI rankings of 2023, which is used to rank teams based on their overall success. The America East was ranked third nationally as a conference in RPI behind the Pac-12 and the ACC. The America East currently has four teams in the top-50 of RPI. Vermont leads at 11th, followed by Bryant (32), UMBC (36) and New Hampshire (39).
Seven teams have a pair of contests this week, headlined by non-conference action on Tuesday. Vermont travels to UConn while UNH is at Northeastern and Bryant plays at Dartmouth. This Saturday UVM hosts NJIT with first place on the line while the Bulldogs play at New Hampshire. UMass Lowell hosts the Retrievers and UAlbany welcomes Binghamton.
The preseason poll was announced on August 9
2023 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners – Oct. 2
Offensive Player of the Week
Vicente Valor Martinez, Bryant – Sr., Midfield, San Juan, Spain
- Finished with two goals in a 1-0-1 week for Bryant, who improved to 8-1-1 on the season.
- Tallied a pair of scores in a 3-0 win over Quinnipiac.
- This is Martinez’s second #AEMSOC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Defensive Player of the Week
Joseba Incera, New Hampshire – Gr., Goalkeeper, Santurtzi, Spain
- Made six saves in a pair of shutouts this week, going 1-0-1.
- Stopped three shots in a 1-0 win against Harvard.
- Made three saves in a 0-0 draw against UAlbany.
- This is Incera’s first career #AEMSOC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Co-Rookie of the Week
Sebastian Sunol, NJIT – Fr., Forward, San Jose, Costa Rica
- Finished with one goal in a 0-1-1 week.
- Scored the game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw against Binghamton after NJIT fell behind early.
- This is Sunol’s first #AEMSOC Rookie of the Week honor.
Co-Rookie of the Week
Sydney Wathuta, Vermont – Fr., Forward, Calgary, Alberta
- Finished with one goal in a 1-0-1 week, making his first two starts.
- Scored the game-tying goal in a 1-1 contest against UMass as UVM trailed early.
- This is Wathuta’s first #AEMSOC Rookie of the Week honor.
2023 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 28 – Offensive Player of the Week: Taylor Calheira, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Talabi Abdel, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Nick Lockermann, Vermont
Sept. 5 – Offensive Player of the Week: Goncalo Franco, NJIT; Defensive Player of the Week: Owen Jack, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Daniele Mastroianni, UMass Lowell
Sept. 11 – Offensive Player of the Week: Vicente Valor Martinez, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Tiago Dias, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Nick Lockermann, Vermont
Sept. 18– Offensive Player of the Week: Maximus Barboto, NJIT; Defensive Player of the Week: Javier Soler Gandia, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Austin Bush, New Hampshire
Sept. 25 – Offensive Player of the Week: Yaniv Bazini, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Jack Root, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Nick Lockermann, Vermont
Oct. 2 – Offensive Player of the Week: Vicente Valor Martinez, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Joseba Incera, New Hampshire; Co-Rookie of the Week: Sydney Wathuta, Vermont; Co-Rookie of the Week: Sebastian Sunol, NJIT
The America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country. The conference has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament in four of the past eight seasons, with Vermont and New Hampshire reaching each of the past two years. Overall, four different teams have reached the third round of the NCAA tournament since 2014, highlighted by UMBC getting all the way to the College Cup in 2014.
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEMSOC contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEGameday Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East men’s soccer news all season long and use #AEMSOC to join the conversation.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
- Building the Complete Student-Athlete –